BREXIT FALLOUT: Kilkenny businesses urged to avail of Enterprise Ireland supports

KILKENNY businesses have been put on alert and warned to be ‘Brexit-ready’ amid growing fears Britain will crash out of the EU without a deal.

The prospect of a no-deal Brexit, with the potential to have a devastating knock-on effect on many Irish companies, now looms larger after British Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU deal was emphatically shot down in the House of Commons.

The scale of the House of Commons defeat – by some 230 votes – came as a shock to the Irish Government, according to reports this morning.

In a statement issued last night, the Government said it regretted the decision of the House of Commons to reject the EU-UK withdrawal agreement and urged the UK “to set out how it proposes to move forward”.

Meanwhile, businesses in Kikenny and the rest of the country have been urged to “take immediate action to mitigate the potential risks”.

Food producers in Kilkenny and the South East and local companies that rely on UK exports are thought to be among those most at risk in the event of a ‘hard’ or no-deal Brexit.

In advertisements taken out on national media platforms, Enterprise Ireland reiterated that local companies should prepare for the worst, and also to “position themselves to take advantage of opportunities as they arise”.

It added: “These actions will increase a business’s resilience and make practical business sense, irrespective of Brexit outcomes.”

Enterprise Ireland has a wide range of supports for local businesses as the country braces itself for the fallout from Britain’s decision to quit the EU.

These include new Online Customs Training and the Act On Consultancy, which Enterprise Ireland says will “enable businesses to take critical action and address their exposure to Brexit”.

*For more information about Brexit business supports, visit www.prepareforbrexit.com/supports/